Camping Gift Basket Ideas for the Avid Camper

Any camper would love to receive a camping gift basket full of camping supplies even if he/she already has all the equipment they need simply because:

There's always a new gadget out there that they haven't purchased yet.

Some items are consumable so it's always great to have a fresh supply.

Picking camping gift items is all about multi-purposing and light packing. After all when it's up to you to carry your gear, wouldn't you prefer to pack as light as possible but still enjoy comfort in the great outdoors?

This is exactly where the below camping gift ideas come in: each one of them is either light in weight, multifunctional or both. And the best of all, they are all very affordable so you can can come up with an awesome camping gift basket without going bankrupted.

Camping gift basket ingredient list

Gift basket container ideas

Gift basket ingredients

Large sharpener: why? because using it to sharpen twigs will create shavings that make the best fire starters. AND... the sharpened twigs would make excellent skewers for marshmallows or sausages. See? both multipurpose and light weight :-). You may want to attach a note explaining the logic behind this peculiar gift item in case your recipient does not follow...

pet-sitting / plant watering coupon: if you live close to your recipient and want to help out while they are out camping , you can print out one of these coupons and offer your assistance with their dog / cat / plants while they are away.

Heavy duty duct tape: because it fixes almost anything!

soap leaves: these are very thin soap sheets you can use one at the time. they take less space than a regular soap bar and because you only use one of them at the time, your recipient will not have "where to store the wet soap bar" dilemma. There are laundry soap leaves also.

Spork: spoon, knife and fork all in one! another space saver. Get colorful ones so they are less likely to get lost.

Insect repellent: another outdoor must! Camping is not much fun when you are "eaten" by mosquitoes.

Sage plant: so your recipient can take a few branches every time he/she goes camping and throw them in the fire to help keep insects away (can be used for food seasoning too).

Cards: or any other game that can be played outdoors (Pictionary, trivia etc) for a fun evening with the gang / family.

Popcorn: a pack of corn seeds to make popcorn (you can add a small bottle of oil too).

Multi-spice pack: instead of packing each spice and herb separately you can have them all in one space saving container. I have one of these and I love it!

Pancake mix + squeeze bottle: for easy pancake making. You can include a frying pan and some maple syrup too. Just make sure you pick an "add water only" mix, otherwise it may be more challenging to use.

belt + S hooks: make a handy portable hanging wrack . Your recipient will simply wrap belt around a tree , hang hooks on it and hang pots, pans and other equipment on hooks like so. Belt can be replaced with a heavy duty multipurpose rope.

multipurpose rope/cord: when camping, you always need to hang somethings somewhere. a strong durable cord/ rope is an essential camping item. Especially when it glows in the dark so you can see it at night.

Multitool: if your recipient doesn't already have one, these multi functional tools can include everything from cutlery to tweezers, saw and even a toothpick. If your recipient already has a traditional one, perhaps they don't have this cool credit-card multitool version.

air-activated warmers: flat packs filled with heat generating ingredients that heat up upon contact with air. Ideal for warming up on cold nights when the fire is out.

Flash light: a camping must! I would go for solar flashlight or LED headlamp which are most useful.

Solar charger: it is nice to get away and disconnect from everything but a little electricity in time of trouble can always come in handy. Especially if you are lost and your cell phone is out of battery.

Folding camping stuff

The following items can take quite a lot of space in their original form but the below versions are genuine space savers! The washbasin and bucket can make great camping gift basket containers too.

Collapsible cups

Folding camping bucket

Folding stoves

Folding washbasins

Portable shower

Compact waterproof blankets

Great as picnic blanket as well as waterproof shelter when needed.

Camping Gift item combinations

Want to focus on one aspect of camping? here are some ideas for camping gift baskets based on the above items:

Shower and stuff gift basket

Soap leaves (you can by one or shave some off a soap bar yourself and store in a small container).

Portable shower like the ones in the above link OR you can take a clean empty family size soft drink bottle and screw a small shower head to it so when you fill it up and pour water through, they will have a shower affect (and last longer too).

Flipflops.

Emergency kit

In a small waterproof tin box put:

Lighter / matches wrapped in plastic wrap.

Some band-aids.

Pocket knife / mulitool.

Laminated bill of local currency to be used in emergency situations.

A decent size piece of duct tape wrapped around a pencil.

Sweets / energy bar.

Camping food gift basket

Hope you've found some cool gift ideas to include in your camping gift basket or give on their own. If you have more camping gift ideas please drop me a note and I will be happy to include them on this page.